Electric trolley car



Q-mmm VO v l J c. H. COPLEY.

ELECTRIC TROLLEY CAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAYZB, 1920.

1 ,417,502. PatentedMay 30,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET vI.

C. H. COPLEY.

ELECTRIC TROLLEY CAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY28,1920.

1,417,502. Patented May 30,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CHARLESH. COPLEY, 0F SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURLAS'SIG-NR OIE" ONE--ALF TOH CLARENCE '1\T.'NICHOLSQ0E 'NEX/V YORIQ'N. Y. i i 'f ELECTRIC TnoLLnr can.

Application filed 1Viay2'8,

To all whom 'it concern:

lBe it known that l, CHARLES H. Cormier, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Sprin'giield, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric Trolley Gars, v0f which the following is a full, clear, and eXactrdescrption, such vas will enable others skilled in the art' to which Y it'appertainstomake and use' the same.

' electric trolleyy This invention relates to cars, and has for its vmain object" to provide means which insures' the trolleypole of van electric car being the motorman or operator ofthecar stationed, at; the front car canbe started by said -motorman Another object is to provide an electric t-rolleycarl which 'islso constructed' that the controller at'the front end of same cannot be used for starting the car unlessthetr'olley pole of fthe car projects in an opposite directio'n to'theproposed path of ltravel 'of the car. p

And stillanother object is to provide yan electric trolley car of the double vtrolley pole type which is equipped with meansy for preventing the car from 'beinglstarted if the wheels of both trolleypoles are in engagementwithI xthe' trolley wire and for preventingthe car Vfrom beino' 'started' by thecontrro'llerl'located atthezliront end of the car,

unless the rear-'trolley pole is properly positioned -and the front trolley'poleis locked in lan inoperative position.

Figure l `of the ldrawings is a diagrammatic view, illustrating an electric trolley car of the doublepole type constructed in accordance with my invention. p

Figure 2 is a detail view,y taken on the Iline-2 2 of F igure'l, illustrating the means for locking the front trolley? pole in an inoperative position and y for completing the electric circuity between the rear trolley pole and the controller at' the front ofthe ca'r.

Figure?) isa diagrammatic view, illustrating my invention embodied iin an electric trolley car equipped-with a single reversible trolley polegand h i *Figure .4 is atop vplan view, showing'the contacts that co-operate with the contact on the revoluble trolley pole base of the car shown in` Figure 3. U

Referring to Figure lof the drawings which illustrates my invention embodied in an electric trolley Car of the doulfi'lepole Specification of Letters Patent. flatetgd 'ltay 1920. jseriai No. 384,923.

,with'means that V'propve'rly positioned aridend of the car before the type, `A and B Adesignate the trolleyE poles of the car, l designates a supporting `'structnreon thereof 2 of the car which carries said trolley poles, and 3 "and i designate the controllers'at the opposite ends ofI the car. v.In order to vvinsure 'safety to the car and to lthe public,"Ifh ave provided the car n prevents'the car fron'rbeing started-when the wheels of bothtrolley poles areinj engagementwithv the vtrolley wire I(not, shown) and' from beingv started by the controlle'rat 'the front end of the car, unless the rear trolley poleis properly positioned 'and the ffronttrolley pole 'is locked in an'inoperative'(position. ln' the 'form of myinv'ention shown in Figure 1f this is accornplished by establishing electrical connection'betwe'cnboth trolleyV poles and einl plo'ying: locking devices fory the trolley .polesY that are. connected with the circuit, breakers 3fL aridaa Lt opposite erids of the car in such a vmannerthat theflocking device which rco- Operates withthetrolleyfpole B forms part l thatco-operates with the ytrolleypoleA forms part of the :electrical connection be-. tween the controller Q4, and the trolley pole. B at the opposite end ofthe car.

When both trolley poles are in their rai-sed position, namely, with their wheels in engagement with the trolley wire, the 'circuit between they-trolls7 wire and the motors (not shown) of the car is broken. As shown in Figure l," the base 5 of the trolley pole A is "connected with Ithe base y l p I pole B by an electrical conductor ',7 and locking devices 8 roof of the carto rco-operate with thel `trolley poli-ss-Avfand'l, respectively, andr hold said; trolley poles 'in a depressed or inoperative position. The locking device 8 is connected bv means of an electricaly conductor 8a with the circuit breaker V@ganci the locking device 9 is connectedy by means of an electrica-1 con.- ductcr 9a with V'the' Vcircuit breaker yEach of said locking devices preferably consists and, 9 yare mounted onthe `(3 of the, trolley I of a Asubstantially hook-shaped member l 'snapped `into engagement with the hook-l shapedv portion on:v the device,thereby causing the trolley pole to be securely locked in a depressed or inoperative position. The hook-shaped portion of each of said devices is preferably lined with a piece of copper 10 or other suitable material that is a good electrical conductor, and each of the trolley poles is providedwith a collar 11 of copper or other suitable electrical conducting material arranged so that the collar 11 on the pole A will be engaged by the copper lining of the locking device 8 when said trolley1 pole is depressed, and the collar 11 on the pole B will be engaged by the copper lining of the locking device 9 when said trolley pole B is depressed.

Assuming that the car is to travel in such a direction that the controller 3 is located at the front end ofthe car, it is necessary that the front trolley 'pole B be locked in an inoperative position and the rear trolley pole A in a raised position with its wheel in engagement with the trolley wire before the circuit to the motors of the car can be closed by the controller 3. This is due to the fact that the circuit from the trolley wire to the motors is through the pole A, through the conductor 7 that connects the bases of the trolley poles, through the vlocking device 9 and then through the conductor 9a and circuit breaker 3a to the front controller 3. At such times the controller Il at the rear end of the car cannot be used to start the car. Accordingly, my invention makes it necessary for the motorman `to be stationed at the front of the car, the rear trolley pole A raised with its wheel in engagement with the trolley wire and the front trolley pole B locked in its depressed position before the car can be started by the motorman. By constructing acar in this mannerl insure safety to the car and to the public by eliminating the possibility of the car being run forwardly by a motorman stationed at the rear end of the car or from being operated by a trolley pole that is pointed in the same direction in which the car is to travel. n

In Figure 3 of the drawings l have illustrated my invention embodied in an electric street car of the single trolley pole type which is equipped with a reversible trolley pole C mounted on a revoluble base 12 that is provided with Aa contact 13 which is adapted to co-operate with one or the other of two contacts 14 and 15 insulated from each other by insulating materialen and connected by means of electrical conductors 14eEL and 15ZL with the circuit-breakers 3a and 49, respectively. wWhen the car is to travel in such a direction that the controller 3 is located at the front end of the car, it is necessary that the trolley pole C be arranged in a rearwardly-inclined position in order to furnish current to the motors of the car, due to the fact that the electrical connection between the circuit breaker 3a and the trolley wire is through -the conductor 14, the contact 14, and the contact 13 on the base 12 of the trolley pole C. lf the trolley pole C were arranged in a forwardlyinclined position, or pointed in the same direction in which the car is to travel, the front controller 3 could not be used to start the car, because the contact 13 on the revoluble base of the trolley pole would be in engagement with the contact 15 that is connected with the circuit breaker la that co-operates with the controller at the rear end of the car. Obviously, when the trolley pole is arranged in its `other position, namely, inclined oppositely to the position shown in Figure 1, the car can be started and operated only by the controller 4 at the opposite end of the car. v

Having thus 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an electric trolley car, a controller, a trolley pole, and means for preventing said controller from being utilized to start and operate the car unless the trolley pole pro# jects rearwardly or in an opposite direction to the proposed path of travel of the car.

y 2. In an electric trolley car, a' trolley pole, controllers arranged at opposite ends of the car, and means that necessitates said trolley pole being arranged in a position pointing towards one end of the car before the car can be'started by the controller located at the opposite end of the car. y u

3. An electric trolley car provided with a trolley pole, controllers located at opposite ends of the car, and means forming part of the circuit vbetween thetrolley pole and saidy controllers that makes it necessary for the trolley pole to be arranged in a rearwardlyinclined position before the controller located at the front end of the car can be used to start the car.

il. An electric trolley car provided withv two trolley poles, and means 'whereby the car cannot be started by the controller at the front end of the car unless the rear trolley pole is in an operative position and the front trolley pole is in an inoperative position.

5. An electric trolley car provided with two trolley poles, and means for preventing the motors of the car from being energized when the wheels of both trolley poles are in engagement with the trolley wire.

6. An electric trolley car provided with two trolley poles, and means for preventing the car from being started when the wheels of both trolley poles are in engagement with the trolley wire, and from being started by the controller at the front end of the car unless the rear trolley poleis properly positioned and the front trolley pole islocked in an inoperative position.

7 An electric trolley car provided with two trolley poles, controllers located at the described my invention, what f iso opposite ends of the car, and means combined with said controllers and trolley poles for establishing electrical connection between the trolley wire and the motors of the car only when the front trolley pole is locked in an inoperative position and the rear trolley pole is elevated with its wheel in engagement with the trolley wire.

8. An electric trolley oar provided with two trolley poles, and a locking device for each pole that forms part of the circuit between the trolley wire and the motors when said locking device is in use.

9. An electric trolley car provided with two trolley poles that are electrically connected together, and locking devices for said poles electrically connected to the controllers` ofthe car yand arranged so that the circuit will be completed through one of said locking devices and its co-operating trolley pole when the other trolley pole is in its raised or operative position.

l0. An electric trolley car provided with i two trolley poles that are electrically connected together7 controllers at the opposite ends of the car, and locking devices for said trolley poles electrically connected with said controllers in such a manner that ,the controller at one end of the car can be used to start the carvonly when the trolleypole at the same end of the car is inoperative and the trolley pole at the opposite end of the pole is operative.

CHARLES F. COPLEY. 

